REGION: Area Catholics touched by papal canonizations

Pope Francis will bestow sainthood on two of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, in a historic double canonization in the Vatican, Sunday, April 27. It will not only be celebrated by Catholics throughout the Inland region, it will prompt at least one area church to change its name.

To commemorate Pope John XXIII’s ascendancy to sainthood, the church Blessed John XXIII Catholic Community in the Rialto/Fontana area will be renamed Saint John XXIII, said Deacon Nelson Glass.

“We’re excited because we’re going to be called Saint John instead of Blessed John,” said Glass. “It gives us a new vision of what we’re supposed to be doing as Catholics. It gives us a sense of renewal, especially here in this Easter season.”

A special mass — featuring Bishop Gerald Barnes of the Diocese of San Bernardino — begins at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 17, said Glass.

He said a contingent of more than 20 parishioners flew to Rome this week to attend the Vatican ceremonies.

John Andrews, communications director with the diocese, which oversees parishes in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, said there is a lot of excitement about the canonizations.

“This is something that I think is going to be greeted with a lot of universal joy and we’ll be able to reflect on what these men did for the church in moving it forward,” he said.

Pope John Paul II headed the Roman Catholic Church for nearly 27 years, from Oct. 16, 1978, until his death on April 2, 2005, one of the longest papal reigns in history. During that time, he became a venerated and influential world leader.

Though Pope John XXIII served less than five years, from Oct. 28, 1958, to June 3, 1963, he is hailed for initiating the historic Second Vatican Council, which resulted in wide-ranging reforms. Those included permission to conduct services in languages other than Latin and he is credited with being the first pope to address a Vatican audience in his native Italian.

Southern Californian Catholics can celebrate the canonization ceremonies this weekend at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St. in Los Angeles.

A celebration and vigil, including worship, rosary and music, will be held Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. specifically to commemorate Pope John Paul II, whom many remember from his 1987 visit to Los Angeles.

On Sunday at 3:30 p.m., a Mass of Thanksgiving honoring both canonizations will be conducted by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.

That most Catholics today have distinct memories of John Paul II makes his ascendancy to sainthood extra special, said The Rev. Mark Kotlarczyk of St. Francis of Rome Church in Wildomar. It often takes hundreds of years after the end of a person’s life before such a recognition is bestowed.

“I found it exciting that it happened so fast because in our church’s tradition, it’s usually a rather lengthy process,” Kotlarczyk said.

Adding to his interest in the pope born as Karol Józef Wojtyła is their shared Polish heritage and that Kotlarczyk bears the same surname of a good friend of Wojtyla, the Wildomar reverend said.

“I’ve been to the pope’s hometown and been to the apartment where he lived, and I saw the picture of this man,” Kotlarczyk said, alluding to the friend.

Joyce Drake, who heads the San Bernardino diocese’s Ministry of Education, had the privilege of seeing the pope when she chaperoned a group attending World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. John Paul II launched World Youth Days as a celebration of young people from all over the globe.

Drake said she was escorting a boy back from a first-aid tent to the concluding mass where the pope was scheduled to speak when his entourage swept by.

“We were just coming out and security stopped us and he drove by, and I got a picture of him,” she said. “It was nice just seeing his smiling face and him waving at everybody.”

Of his canonization, she said, “For those youth that attended World Youth Day with John Paul II, it’s very exciting because it’s somebody they saw live. For many people … that’s the only pope they grew up with. … To them, John Paul II was real.”

“I think the same could be said of the older generation for John XXIII. I see the same excitement and devotion to John XXIII because of the impact he made on the church when he was the pope.”

Contact Michael J. Williams at 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pe.com

SAINTLY LIVES

Pope John XXIII

Birth: Nov. 25, 1881, as Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, the son of Italian farmers

Ordination: Aug. 10, 1904

Career: Credited with aiding prisoners of war and helping Jews escape from Greece during WW II; named cardinal and patriarch of Venice in 1953 by Pope Pius XII

Election to pope: Oct. 28, 1958

Notable events: Initiated Second Vatican Council, Oct. 11, 1962

Died: June 3, 1963

Pope John Paul II

Birth: May 18, 1920, as Karol Jozef Wojtyla to Polish parents

Ordination: Nov. 1, 1946

Career: Studied for priesthood clandestinely during World War II; credited with saving Polish Jews during the Holocaust; appointed archbishop of Krakow, Jan. 13, 1964, by Pope Paul VI

Elected to pope: Oct. 16, 1978

Notable events: Traveled to more than 100 countries; credited with inspiring fall of communism in Poland; founder of World Youth Days